Pardoned pooch gets day in court in its death penalty case

WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) - A dog that was pardoned from a death sentence by Maine Gov. Paul LePage is getting its day in court.

A hearing on the case involving Dakota the Alaskan husky is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Waterville District Court.

The dog was ordered to be put down after getting loose and killing a neighbor's pug last year. But a new family adopted Dakota not knowing it had been sentenced to death.

FILE - In this March 30, 2017, file photo provided by the Waterville Humane Society, an Alaskan husky named Dakota, who killed a neighbor's pug last year, sits in Waterville, Maine. Maine's conservation department is getting involved in the proposed pardoning of Dakota, saying the case could have implications for the state's animal welfare laws. (Karen Vance/Waterville Humane Society via AP, File)

The Morning Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2omA6bm) reports that the dog's current owner is asking the court to withdraw a decision ordering Dakota to be euthanized.

Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney says the state wasn't aware that Dakota had a new owner. The court scheduled another hearing to give the owner a chance to be heard.